American screenwriter, film and TV producer, and creator of more than a hundred shows, Norman Milton Lear. All in the Family, Maude, Sanford and Son, One Day at a Time, The Jeffersons, and Good Times are just a few of Lear’s award-winning sitcoms from the 1970s.
Lear has kept busy with TV productions like the One Day at a Time remake (2017) and the Good Times revival (2022) on Netflix. In addition to the National Medal of Arts and the Kennedy Center Honors, Lear has won five Emmys. The Television Academy inducted him into its Hall of Fame.
Lear is also well-known for his involvement in politics and his support of progressive and liberal organizations and candidates through philanthropy. To combat the Christian right’s political influence, he launched an advocacy group called People for the American Way in 1980 and toured with a copy of the Declaration of Independence in the early 2000s.
Early Life
During the year 1922, Norman Lear entered the world in New Haven, Connecticut, to a family that was both religious and culturally Jewish. His mom was named Jeanette, and his dad was a salesman named Hyman. There was only one other member of his family, a sister named Claire.
When Lear was nine, two significant events occurred: his father was arrested for selling fake bonds, and while he was tinkering with his radio, he heard the anti-Semitic Catholic radio priest, Father Charles Coughlin. Lear’s lifelong dedication to advocacy can be traced back to an incident that occurred before he created the character of Archie Bunker.
Weaver High School in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1940. After high school, Lear continued his education at Emerson College in Boston. He left school in 1942 to enlist in the United States Army Air Forces. He was a radio operator and gunner in the Mediterranean theater and flew 52 combat missions, earning him the Air Medal for his service.
Norman Lear’s Net Worth
| Net Worth: | $200 Million |
| Date of Birth: | Jul 27, 1922 (100 years old) |
| Gender: | Male |
| Profession: | Screenwriter, Film Producer, Television producer, Television Director, Actor, Political activist |
| Nationality: | United States of America |
According to the Celebrity Net Worth website, Norman has an estimated net worth of $200 million. The writer and producer are well-known for creating many classic sitcoms from the ’70s, including “All in the Family,” “One Day at a Time,” “Sanford and Son,” and “Good Times.” Norman, who had a modest upbringing, became successful in the entertainment industry.
According to Britannica, the centenarian earned a diploma from Hartford, Connecticut’s Weaver High School in 1940 and attended Boston, Massachusetts’ Emerson College. Unfortunately, he had to cut short his college career when, in 1942, he enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces to serve his country in World War II.
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Norman Lear’s Real Estate
Norman and his third wife Lyn bought a massive Brentwood, Los Angeles mansion for $6.5 million in 1995. The main house is 14,000 square feet, and there are also 35 parking spaces and a guest house on the property’s 8 acres.
In 2015, he put the mansion on the market for $55 million. He re-listed the property in November of 2019 for just under $40 million. The couple also owns a $10.2 million New York City condo with two bedrooms near Central Park that they purchased in 2008.
During the year 2001, Lear and his wife spent $8.1 million on a first edition copy of the US Declaration of Independence. In the years that followed, Lear took the document on a cross-country tour, stopping at presidential libraries, museums, the Winter Olympics, and even the Super Bowl.
Embassy Pictures and Coca-Cola Sale
Lear and Jerry Perenchio bought Avco Embassy Pictures in 1982. They parted ways with the company in 1985, selling it to Columbia Pictures for $485 million in Coca-Cola stock. The sale netted Norman and Lear an estimated $600 million before taxes and inflation. Movies such as The Sure Thing, Stand By Me, The Princess Bride, and Fried Green Tomatoes were produced by Act III Communications, which Norman Lear established in 1986.
Career Beginnings
When Lear was nine, two significant events occurred: his father was arrested for selling fake bonds, and while he was tinkering with his radio, he heard the anti-Semitic Catholic radio priest, Father Charles Coughlin. Lear’s lifelong dedication to advocacy can be traced back to an incident that occurred before he created the character of Archie Bunker.
Weaver High School in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1940. After high school, Lear continued his education at Emerson College in Boston. He left school in 1942 to enlist in the United States Army Air Forces. He was a radio operator and gunner in the Mediterranean theater and flew 52 combat missions, earning him the Air Medal for his service.
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Television in the 1970s
After his success with the comedic films “Divorce American Style” (1967) and “Cold Turkey” (1971), Lear pitched ABC on a sitcom idea revolving around a working-class family. After the first two pilots, the network passed on the show, but by the third try, they were hooked.
The show’s first season received low ratings, but it went on to win several Emmys, including one for “Outstanding Comedy Series.” The show’s viewership increased during the summer reruns, leading to a successful second season. “All in the Family” was television’s most popular show from 1972 to 1977. Following its cancellation in 1979, “Archie Bunker’s Place” was created as a spinoff.
A career in the 80s
For 14 months beginning in 1981, Lear hosted a new version of the classic 1940s game show “Quiz Kids.” The following year, he made a TV show called “I Love Liberty” to take on conservatives. Lear founded the production company Act III Communications in 1986; it is responsible for the release of several films, including “The Sure Thing,” “Stand By Me,” and “The Princess Bride,” all directed by Rob Reiner.
A career in the 1990s and Beyond
Lear made three comeback attempts at television comedy in the 1990s with the flops “Sunday Dinner,” “The Powers That Be,” and “704 Hauser.” Lear co-produced the children’s animated series “Channel Umptee-3” with Jim George on a Saturday morning in 1997. Despite the positive critical reception, the show was canceled after only one season due to low viewership.
Even in his later years, Lear has kept contributing to the media. A new season of his show, “One Day at a Time,” premiered on Netflix in 2017. During the same year, he also began his podcast series, “All of the Above with Norman Lear.”
Personal Life
In 1999, he received the National Medal of Arts from then-President Bill Clinton. In 2001, he spent $8.1 million on one of the first copies of the United States Declaration of Independence. It was in 1981 that People For the American Way was founded by political activist Norman Lear.
He is an advocate for free speech, having founded nonpartisan organizations. BornAgainAmerican.org in 2009 and Declare Yourself in 2004. Many African Americans in the television industry can thank Lear for their start. The 2017 Kennedy Center Honors included a tribute to Lear.
He has six children from three marriages. From 1944 to 1956, he was married to Charlotte Rosen. After a brief separation in 1952, he remarried Frances Loeb from 1956 until their divorce in 1986. As of 1987, he has been happily married to Lyn Davis.
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Settlement in a Divorce
After 28 years of marriage, Norman and his second wife Frances divorced in 1985. In an unprecedented divorce settlement, Norman was ordered to pay Francis $112 million, or roughly $270 million in today’s dollars. Frances then used $30 million (around $70m with inflation) of her settlement money to publish Lear’s, a magazine aimed at women over the age of 45.
Within six years, the magazine was no more. During the year 1922, Norman Lear entered the world in New Haven, Connecticut, to a family that was both religious and culturally Jewish. His mom was named Jeanette, and his dad was a salesman named Hyman. There was only one other member of his family, a sister named Claire.
When Lear was nine, two significant events occurred: his father was arrested for selling fake bonds, and while he was tinkering with his radio, he heard the anti-Semitic Catholic radio priest, Father Charles Coughlin. Lear’s lifelong dedication to advocacy can be traced back to an incident that occurred before he created the character of Archie Bunker.
Weaver High School in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1940. After high school, Lear continued his education at Emerson College in Boston. He left school in 1942 to enlist in the United States Army Air Forces. He was a radio operator and gunner in the Mediterranean theater and flew 52 combat missions, earning him the Air Medal for his service.
